Shoe with interchangeable heels



April 2, 1935.

G. STAINES 1,996,659

SHOE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEELS Filed June 28, 1954 INVENTOR GU LLERNO STAINES,

ATT CR NEY,

Patented Apr. 2, 1935 UNITEDSTATES p; "1,996,659 u SHOE wrrn INTERCHANGEABLE HEELS Guillermo Staines, Mexico, D. F., ,Mexico, as-

Signor to Auguste Daumas, Mexico, Mexico Application June 28, 1934, Serial No. 732,930 In Mexico July 8, 1933 2 claims, (ome a The invention refers to a shoe having a heel plate especially adapted to provide means for securing interchangeable heels to ladies shoes. The invention has for its principal object to provide 5 easily installed and rigid means for permitting interchange of the heels of the shoes for other heels with different outside covering, of different color or shape, which is especially convenient and desirable with shoes made of variously colored leather as heels of each of the colors-may be given with each pair of shoes bought, and also for changing the heels from one shoe to the other, whereby the soles of the heels will be worn out more uniformly, preventing the fatigue of the wearer occasioned by unevenly worn heels which let the foot strike the ground at an angle.

It is another object of the invention to provide a heel plate the under side of which has a convex shape corresponding with the concavity of the upper part of the heel, whereby the heel plate forms a unitary structure with the heel when both are united by a screw, preventing any tendency of the heel to turn.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a heel plate having means preventing it from being displaced with respect tov the heel part of the shoe, such means comprising a projection on the under side of the plate passing through a hole in the sole, and sharp-edged raised ribs extending from said projection for embedding themselves both into the material surrounding said hole and into the inner sole when the he plate is tightened against the heel.

The invention has also for its object to provide, by means of the aforesaid projection, a longer guide for the shaft of the screw uniting the plate and the heel, which prevents any lateral play of said screw and gives greater stability and strength to the union.

It is still another object of the invention to make the heel plate not of stamped sheet metal, but of solid cast metal or any other conventional cast or pressed material so as to give it a sufficient thickness to provide a relatively heavy rear part shaped to receive the rounded heel of the foot, and a tapering front part terminating in a sharp front edge which does not form. any bulge at the point of junction with the insole.

It is finally an object of the invention, to rigid- 50 1y grip the rear end of the metal shank stiffener existing in high-heeled ladies shoes, between the metal heel plate and the heel portion of theshoe materials, preventing thereby any possibility of deforming the shoe by torsional stresses,

In the accompanying drawing:

A Figure l is asectional View of the rear part of a lady's shoe, showing the heel attached by the plate. 7

Figure 2 is a top view of theheelplate. j

Figure 3 is a view from below of the heel" plate. .5

Figure' l is a front view ofthe heel plate. V *Figure 5 is; a cross-sectional View on the line H Q F u ,3 i 5 -As appearsfrom the drawing, the heel plate l, preferably cast from a non-oxidizingmetal 0 such as aluminum, is made to conform in its-outlines with-the heel portion of'the insole of the shoe- The upper surface of said plate is slightly concave so as to snugly receive the heel of the foot, and its straight thin front edge is lightly curved downwardly so as to embed itself inthe insole of the shoe. The under side of the heel plate is convex on lines parallel with the concavity of the upper part of the heel. From the center of the under side of the heel plate projects a ring 2 having a straight center hole countersunk at the top and slightly conical outer walls. From this ring project several equally spaced vertical sharp-edged ribs 3, and'other sharp-edged ribs l'extend themselves from said vertical ribs along the under side of the heel plate, some of these ribs being placed along the longitudinal axis of the plate and others at right angles to them.

The projecting ring 2 passes through a round hole stampedthrough the insole 5 and the outer sole 6, the height of said projection being somewhat smaller than the thickness of both of these soles, so that the latter may be firmly compressed when the plate I is screwed to the heel 1 by means of the wood screw 8. The sharp lateral ribs 3 cut into the leather surrounding the hole in the soles 5 and B, and thelongitudinalribs 4 also embed themselves in the insole 5, preventing the plate I from turning and sliding. When the heel 1 has been attached, the covering flap 9 of the insole 5 islaid on top of the plate I, without any adhesive, so that it may be raised when the screw 8 is to be loosened, although this flap could also be glued to the plate I, leaving only an opening above the head of the screw '8. The metal shank stiffener It used for holding the shape of high-heeled shoes and locatedbetween the outer and the inner sole, is firmly gripped with its rear end between the insole and plate I, and the outsole and the heel l, giving it therefore a much firmer hold than if the heel had been secured bynails.

The screw 8 is driven in slantingly towards the rear of the heel 1, into which a hole has previously been drilled for preventing it from splitting, but at a right angle to the plate I. Thisdraws the heel l firmly against the heel portion of the shoe, giving the union a strength several times greater than if effected by nails, and holding the heel I perfectly along its upper surface.

It will be apparent from the construction described, vi l atitgis an easymatter to loosen the screw 8 and to change the heels of the shoes for other heels, or to'change the heel of one shoe to the other. The front of the heel 1, commonlycovered by a continuous strip from the under sole, is in these detachable heels separately covered by a strip 1 I. The heels [may be either of wood, leather, metal or' any other conventional materiahand'the shape of the screw 8 may be adapted for any of these materials. What I claim is: I a

1. In a shoe with a removable heel, the combination of a heel plate placed-on the heel portion-of the insole Qff the shoe, said plate being themselves in the material surroundin one of said holes, and a screw passing through a countersunk holein said projection and entering the heel.

2. In a shoe with a removable heel, the combination of a heel plate placed on the heel portion of the insole of said shoe, said plate having a concave upper surface, following the, curve of the heel of the foot, a convex lower surface following the concave shape of the heel surface adjacent to the shoe, said heel plate being relatively thick at the rear of the shoe and tapering from the rearfportion towards the front portion, a conical projection provided on the under side of said plate and passing through holes in the outer and inner soles, said projection being of a length slightly less than the combined thickness of said outer and inner soles, sharp-edged ribs extending between said plate and said heel.

GUILLEBMO s'rAINEs, 

